Batavia, NY — A pair of $13,500 co-features topped the Saturday (Aug. 17) card at Batavia Downs, and the victorious parties of both events were no stranger to the winner’s circle.
First, in the Open Trot, Treasured Tee (Joe Chindano Jr.) tripped out for his second consecutive score at this level.
Crazy Ritz (Jim McNeight Jr.) led through fractions of :28.3, :59 and 1:28.1 while Treasured Tee followed each step from the pocket and nobody from behind made any aggressive moves. At three-quarters, Chindano pulled Treasured Tee and matched strides with Crazy Ritz around the last turn and into the stretch. Then, five pylons in, Treasured Tee bolted and won by a length in 1:57.
It was the eighth win of the year for Treasured Tee ($8.80), who is owned by his trainer, Francis Guillemette, in partnership with Stephane Geoffroy.
Two races later, in the Open Handicap Pace, The Longest Yard (Jim Morrill Jr.) went to the front and hung on in a squeaker.
The Longest Yard took control off the gate while Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) dropped in second for the mile. The Longest Yard set solid fractions of :28, :57.2 and 1:26 with Lip Reader A breathing down his neck and the rest of the field trying to keep pace. Lip Reader A tipped coming off the last turn and drew even with The Longest Yard as the pair hooked up in a duel to the wire. Lip Reader A tried hard, but The Longest Yard refused to lose and hung on by a neck in 1:54.1.
That made it two in a row for The Longest Yard ($4.30) and pushed him over the $300,000 mark in lifetime earnings ($303,468) for owner Mike Torcello. Sam Smith trains the winner.
Drivers Jim Morrill Jr. and Joe Chindano Jr. each had a grand slam in the bike while trainers Sam Smith and James Rothfuss won three races apiece.
Live racing at Batavia Downs resumes on Wednesday (Aug. 21) at 6 p.m. Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website.